1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the use of a tubular assembly positioned to extend along a desired path of travel to guide and support movement through the hollow interior of the assembly of a length of elongate material that is fed along the travel path. More particularly, the present-invention relates to the use of a tubular assembly of "tube within a tube" construction that has roller supports sandwiched between outer and inner tube components for positioning rollers at spaced locations to project into the hollow interior of the tubular assembly to engage, guide and support outer surface portions of such elongate material as is fed through the tubular structure.
2. Prior Art
A wide variety of structures have been proposed for the purpose of supporting elongate lengths of material at spaced intervals along paths of travel that are to be followed by the elongate material in moving from place to place, for example between successive workstations where the elongate material is to be treated and/or combined with other components during the formation of articles of manufacture. Among previously proposed types of support structures are some that employ pluralities of rotatable members such as balls and rollers that are positioned to engage, guide and support outer surface portions of lengths of material that are being fed along desired paths of travel.
Some previously proposed guide and support structures are of hollow, tubular configuration, and are intended to be positioned to extend along and about selected portions of paths of travel that are to be followed by lengths of material in moving from one place to another. Some proposed tubular guide and support structures have been characterized by relatively thin-wall construction--a characteristic that is highly desirable in applications where a variety of workstation mechanisms need a maximum of available space within which to operate and to be serviced to maintain proper operation. Stated in another way, a relatively thin-walled tube that relatively closely surrounds a length of material that is being fed through the maze of a crowded workplace tends to desirably occupy a minimum amount of required space, thereby maximizing the remaining space that can be utilized by other machinery.
To the extent that previously proposed tubular support structures have made use of various types of rotatable elements such as rollers for engaging outer surface portions of lengths of material that are being fed along desired paths of travel, such proposals typically have been characterized by a number of drawbacks, not the least of which have involved failures to provide simple and inexpensive guide and support structures that are relatively easy to assemble, relatively easy to maintain, and relatively easy to disassemble and service when replacement parts need to be installed.
During the production of elongate articles of indefinite length, such as reinforced hose of the type that typically is used to provide flexible conduits for pressurized fluids, there frequently arises a need to support and guide the movement of partially assembled hose material as it is fed along selected paths of travel between spaced workstations. Often it is desirable to protectively shroud the partially assembled hose material while it is being supported, guided and fed between workstations. While some travel-path-enshrouding guide and support structures have been proposed, most are not well suited for use with flexible rubber hose material that has a "tacky" outer surface that needs to be relatively gently guided and supported without having its "tacky" outer surface deleteriously affected as can occur if portions of its outer surface are permitted to "slide" along or "drag" against stationary structure.
To the extent that previously proposed tubular, travel-path-enshrouding guide and support structures have made use of various types of rotatable elements such as rollers for engaging outer surface portions of lengths of material that are being fed along desired paths of travel, such proposals typically have proven to be unacceptable for use with lengths of material such as a length of newly formed flexible rubber hose that has a "tacky" outer surface. Among the shortcomings and drawbacks that typically have characterized prior proposals have been failures to properly coordinate the orientations of rollers with the orientations of travel paths about which the rollers are positioned, whereby detrimental "slippage" often has been found to take place between the rollers and roller-engaged outer surface portions of materials that are being fed along the travel paths. Also encountered have been failures to take sufficiently effective steps to minimize the possibility that detrimental contact can take place between stationary portions of guide and/or support structures and outer surface portions of the lengths of material that are being fed through such structures.
Thus, a long-standing need that has been encountered in a variety of types of production environments has gone unsatisfied, namely a need for a relatively thin-walled tubular guide and support structure that will extend along and about a desired path of travel to protectively enshroud a length of material as it is being moved along the travel path from place to place, with the guide and support structure functioning in a way that minimizes and prevents damage from being inflicted on outer surface portions of the material that are "tacky" or that otherwise have characteristics that render outer surface portions readily subject to damage if they are "dragged," "slided" or "slipped" across or along portions of such structure as is employed to engage, guide and support the moving length of material as it is being fed along a travel path that extends through the hollow interior of the tubular guide and support structure.